The triumph of the inevitable

PPP may not get same response as last time, but it will be in hot seat, pulling strings that make marionettes dance.

There is little doubt that the present government will complete its term. And though the conviction and enthusiasm has flagged a bit, it is now almost certain that the PPP will return to power. The party may not get the same sort of enthusiastic response as last time and there might be an eventual readjustment in the coalition partners but it will be in the hot seat continuing to pull the strings that make the marionettes dance. The credit must go to President Asif Ali Zardari who has proved to be a most adroit and skilful politician and to General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani for continuing to play a subordinate role and for not wanting to topple the apple cart.

Few critics believe the nation will be in for a tricky new series of adventurous politics. Initially, there might be a flash mob of happy optimism and celebrity hernia as toadies emerge from the barf of sycophancy intact. But in actual effect, nothing will really change. We’ll still see the usual clutch of flatterers jockeying for position, fearful and avaricious of success. And the problems will persist. The charade being enacted between the Supreme Court and the beneficiaries of the NRO will continue unabated. Terrorism, whether of the foreign or local brew, symbols of both resurrection and nihilism will further threaten the occasional spells of calm. A religious minority will continue to be decimated in parts of the country. The dollar should strengthen and will probably hit a hundred rupees just before the national elections. The top military brass will persist in driving the most expensive cars. The minorities will keep on living in dread of being accused of committing blasphemy. And Pakistan’s popularly elected leaders will carry on living in Mughal splendour protected by small battalions of heavily armed policemen.

One must not underestimate President Zardari. Remember the way he brought the three so-called ‘secular’ parties into the fold. He also bought over the turncoat PML-Q League and encouraged the way the PTI tsunami swept across the flood walls erected by the PML-Nawaz faction. This brings one to the question of what has happened to the great white hope of the liberal intelligentsia, the once-unstoppable Imran Khan? He is supported by camps of well meaning, sensible men and women in urban centres and in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Unfortunately, many of his supporters in the towns don’t usually visit the ballot box in the firm belief that one lousy vote won’t really make any difference because the same old crooks are destined to come back. However, they are hoping that he is reorganising his panzer divisions for the great putsch, once the date of the national election is announced. Who knows, the nation might be in for a surprise!

While all politicians have their detractors, I find it a little odd that the PTI chief has an usually large share of critics, some of whom have aired their grievances in this newspaper. The most damaging charge against him is that he has strong links with the religious extremists and is being backed by the ISI. They are, of course, allegations spread by the beneficiaries of the NRO. However, as a patriot, he can’t be faulted for criticising the way the Americans, the Jedi masters of the patrician superpowers, are decimating the Pathans in North Waziristan while the army and politicians look the other way.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 2^nd, 2012.